Psalm Eighteen: God is My Strength

written by David after his victory over his enemies and Saul

"I love you, O LORD, my strength.  The LORD is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer; my God is my rock in whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." v. 1-2


"To the faithful you show yourself faithful.  To the blameless you show yourself blameless.  To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd."  v. 25-26

God, I love you.  I thank you for being my strength when I am weak.  I can run to you when I need comfort and security.  You protect me from harm and save me from sin and those who want to harm me.  I realize your perfect and holy character most when I am trying my best to be like you.  I am quick to find my shortcomings and observe your holiness when I see how faithful, blameless, and pure you are.  God, please use my mistakes and weaknesses to reveal yourself to me more.

This drawing reminds me of the time my family and I went to Maine when I was about eleven or twelve.  My parents had bought us each a 35 mm camera and I remember standing on a beach with the huge boulders that lined the shore.  I was there for about half an hour trying to capture the exact moment when a wave hit a boulder with such force that it fan-tailed in the perfect display of the water's force.  (I had a whole roll wasted on duds until I got the shot I wanted.  A digital camera would have been most helpful!)

But this isn't an illustration of Maine- this beach is more like the ones I see often on the Jersey shore.  Here, we have huge jetties- gigantic rocks that are placed close together to prevent the sand from being eroded.  I drew the clouds as though a huge storm was brewing, stirring up the waters, which represents the trials and tribulations we go through.  It is only after we face these hard times that we see how strong God, our rock, is.  He protects us from harm, delivers us from falling into despair, and shows Himself faithful and trustworthy.